Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made headlines around the world in 2020 when they purchased Wrexham Association Football Club, a football team based in North Wales, who club play in the National League, the fifth tier of football in England.
In their two seasons in charge so far, Wrexham has failed to get promotion to the EFL (English Football League), where most of the professional clubs in England and Wales play their football. The Hollywood duo have invested heavily into the club to ensure the playing squad is strong for its level, they hired a manager which a proven record of success, and they have also invested in the community in Wrexham, something they have claimed they are most proud of.
A deadly free-kick!
🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/8BCKsGsydd
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) February 14, 2023
This season has started well for the Welsh club, as they are in contention for the title in the league. After the first 30 games of the season, Phil Parkinson’s side were in second place in the table with 72 points. They trailed rivals Notts County by five points, with both teams crushing the rest of the division. Should Wrexham finish top at the end of the season where, as of February 22nd, they are the odds-on favorites at -125 in the Betway sports betting for the league, they will earn automatic promotion into League Two (tier four of English football). However, if they finish between second and seventh place, they go into the postseason. Just one team gains promotion through the playoffs.
FA Cup Run
Just like the MLS, the US sports league, there is a popular cup competition in England, the FA Cup. As well as being in great form in their league campaign, Wrexham have played well in this competition. The National League side had to begin in the final qualifying round. They advanced through five rounds to make it through to the Fourth Round Proper.
Wrexham drew League One club Coventry City in the third round of the competition. They defeated the former Premier League club 4-3 in a thrilling game at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
In the fourth round, the television cameras were at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground for their tie with Championship club Sheffield United. The hosts led that game 3-2 with seconds to go, but a late equalizer from the visitors forced a replay. Parkinson’s side gave the Championship highflyers a fright in that second game, before going down 3-1 thanks to two late goals from United, as per the BBC match report.
The run in the FA Cup showed that Wrexham is good enough to compete with some very good Football League clubs. Should they achieve promotion this season, they will be hoping to replicate that in the 2023/24 campaign.
Vision For the Future
Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds reportedly considering investment in NHL team https://t.co/xQOzlcsxAV pic.twitter.com/RjBJK1wg3W
— Indy Sport (@IndySport) February 15, 2023
There has been speculation in the news about Reynolds making a bid for Senators in the future, but even if that deal goes through, the pair have made it clear that their vision at Wrexham is for the club to play in the Premier League, the most lucrative league in UK sports. They are aware that their mission may take a while, but they are invested in the long term.
Wrexham has been fortunate to attract some big-name sponsors including Tik Tok. The pair are helping grow the club’s fan base around the world through their own social media channels. The Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has also helped the profile of the club. The documentary is a fly-on-the-wall series that has gone behind the scenes at training, and matchdays, and shows how the club is run commercially. It has been watched around the world, including in Canada, where the sport continues to grow in popularity due, largely down to the national team providing great entertainment at the FIFA World Cup last year.
One of the success stories Reynolds and McElhenney have achieved so far is the purchase of their ground. The club now owns the Racecourse Ground, one of the oldest international stadiums in the sport. That ensures that the owners can invest in the stadium and expand it, should they wish to.
Although there was some negativity amongst Wrexham fans when the pair took over, the duo has won the hearts and minds of the club’s fanbase. They have proved to the supporters that they only have the club and community’s interests on their minds.
The exciting project that Reynolds and McElhenney are on remains in the early stages. All eyes will be on the club to see if they can take the leap into the Football League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
